A simple approach to structural frequency optimization

This paper presents a simple solution strategy to find the shape and topology of a general structure that maximize or minimize the natural frequency. The structure is modelled with a fine mesh of finite elements. During an evolutionary process, a small part of the material is removed from the structure at the end of each finite element analysis. A criterion is established as to which elements should be eliminated so that the frequency of the resulting structure can be increased or reduced. It is found that the proposed simple method is effective in solving frequency optimization problems which usually require sophisticated mathematical programming techniques to solve.